CommsUpdate
TeleGeography's free daily email summary of the world’s top telecom news stories.
6 Feb 2013
WIRELESS
T-Mobile CR picks Huawei for LTE deployment
T-Mobile’s Czech operating unit has selected Huawei of China to deploy its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network. In a press release, the cellco said that following the successful... more
Indosat plans 25,000 new BTS by year-end
Erik Meijer, director and chief commercial officer for Indonesian telco Indosat, says that his company is ploughing USD800 million in capital expenditure in 2013, as part of a plan to... more
Velcom begins implementation of third 3G frequency channel
Online news journal IT.TUT.BY reports that Belarusian mobile operator Velcom has started to implement the third 3G/3G+ UMTS frequency channel it purchased from the government for EUR9.5 million (USD12.9 million).... more
Read all about it! Central Telegraph launches MVNO
Russian telco Central Telegraph launched its long-rumoured mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service this week, Prime Tass Business News reports, piggybacking on the CDMA network of sister company SkyLink. The... more
Telia reports LTE usage surge
Telia Denmark has reported a surge in traffic over its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network following a software update that enabled users of the Apple iPhone 5 handset to connect... more
BROADBAND
WiMo Wi-Fi network reaches 50,000 users, 500 hotspots in beta phase
WiMo, a new Wi-Fi wireless broadband hotspot network covering the Iranian capital Tehran, has attracted more than 50,000 registered mobile device users after four months in beta testing mode, with... more
Uzbektelecom to boost connectivity
State-backed telco Uzbektelecom has announced plans to increase the bandwidth of its international gateway to 100Gbps over the course of 2013, Uzdaily reports citing deputy director-general Kahramon Yuldoshev. The telco... more
Telecom NZ taps Alca-Lu for core network upgrade
Telecom New Zealand has announced that it has selected French/US vendor Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a converged 100Gbps optical network to more than 30 cities nationwide. The move is expected to... more
NBN Co outlines plans to boost speeds on fixed-wireless and satellite networks
Downlink speeds available to remote and rural locations in Australia are expected to be further increased following an announcement by NBN Co, the company overseeing the construction and management of... more
WIRELINE
Vega partners BT in Ukraine
Ukrainian fixed telecoms group Vega has joined the affiliate network of UK-based BT Global Services, becoming the only authorised partner of BT in Ukraine. Vega currently provides BT customers in... more
NTA reports further dip in fixed line users in December; mobile grow continues
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has published its latest ‘Management Information System (MIS)’ market report for the period Mangsir, 2069 (16 November -15 December, 2012), showing that the total number... more
CORPORATE/FINANCIAL
KT Corp enlists banks to advise on Maroc Telecom bid
South Korean telecoms giant KT Corp has stepped up its approach to buy Vivendi's 53% stake in Maroc Telecom, lining up a number of banks to advise on a deal... more
NII results ‘fall short of expectations’; tower sale planned in Brazil, Mexico
US-based operator NII Holdings, which provides wireless services under the Nextel brand in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile, has announced its preliminary consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter... more
Telecom preliminary 2012 results show 20% rise in revenue
Telecom Argentina has reported its preliminary unaudited financial results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2012, which indicate a 19.6% increase in consolidated revenues to ARS22.117 billion (USD4.4 billion)... more
Tigo and EPM look into potential tie-up
Luzembourg-based telecoms group Millicom International Cellular (MIC) has begun negotiations with EPM regarding a possible merger of their Colombian telecoms units, Tigo Colombia (previously known as Colombia Movil) and Une-EPM.... more
Bharti to buy out Alca-Lu from network management JV
Bharti Airtel has announced that it will buy out Alcatel-Lucent’s stake in the joint venture company that manages the telco’s fixed line and broadband networks in India. According to local... more
TIM Brasil books 16.3% rise in Q4 profit
Brazilian mobile operator TIM Participacoes (TIM Brasil), a unit of Telecom Italia, reported net profits of BRL462.6 million (USD233.2 million) for the three months ended 31 December 2012, up 16.3%... more
Globe sees 30% fall in income in 2012; plans USD350m CAPEX for 2013
Filipino telecoms operator Globe Telecom said net profit slumped 30% to PHP6.857 billion (USD169.2 million) last year, from PHP9.832 billion in FY2011, as the costs related to its network modernisation... more
Bell Aliant highlights fibre progress in end-year results
Canadian full-service telco Bell Aliant has reported that its operating revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012 were CAD695 million (USD696 million), down by CAD6 million or 0.8% from the... more
Tele2 NL reports Q4 results
Tele2 Netherlands has reported revenues of EUR154 million (USD208 million) for the quarter to 31 December 2012, down 3.7% year-on-year, despite a 41% increase in contributions from mobile services to... more
MTN taking 100% control of Cypriot unit
South Africa's MTN Group has reached an agreement to increase its stake in its Cypriot mobile subsidiary from 50% to 100% for an undisclosed sum. MTN's local shareholding partner Amaracos... more
Vodacom Group sees 4Q12 revenues top USD2bn; subs base hits 51m
South Africa-based Vodacom Group has reported consolidated revenues of ZAR18.29 billion (USD2.06 billion) for the three months ended 31 December 2012, up 1.7% compared to the corresponding year-earlier period. The... more
Cukurova seeks USD2bn loan to recover Turkcell stake
Turkey's Cukurova Holding is determined to recover its long-disputed 13.76% stake in Turkcell from Russian partner Altimo, and is seeking a loan of up to USD2 billion in order to... more
LGI to acquire Virgin Media in USD16 billion stock and cash merger
Just a day after reports emerged that Liberty Global Inc (LGI) was in negotiations to acquire UK cableco Virgin Media, the pair have confirmed that they have reached a deal.... more
Bezeq issues financial outlook for 2013
Israeli fixed line incumbent Bezeq has issued its financial guidance for the coming year, ahead of releasing its financial results for 2012. The company said that it expects to record... more
Mobistar unveils investment programme to speed up LTE network rollout
Alongside revealing its financial results for the 2012, Belgium’s Mobistar has outlined a new investment programme, ‘SuperMobile 2013-2015’, under which it has set aside additional investment of EUR150 million (USD203... more
MISCELLANEOUS
Telekom Slovenije gets partner on board for Planet TV
Telekom Slovenije has formed a joint venture with European media investment company Antenna Group to operate its Planet TV channel in Slovenia. Planet TV, which launched a full broadcasting schedule... more